Why does my car cut off a few seconds after it starts up?

I'll go with clogged exhaust.

Your car has a computer controlled carburetor (CCC) so it does have an ECM, but no injectors. It's not the problem here.

It's not "jumped timing". Once the timing chain jumps, it never stops, and the vehicle will never start. About 50 percent of the timing gear teeth are engaged at all times, all teeth would have to be "jumped" at one time, and something would have to make it happen exactly one time...thats physically impossible. If the chain or teeth are that worn, the cam simply doesn't turn. BTDT with the nylon teeth GM used back then.

The symptoms suggest the timing chain has jumped. A check of the ignition timing will tell that - if the chain has jumped the timing will be way retarded. I don't think it is fuel delivery (and I don't even know if your 1986 is injected or carbureted) because almost any fuel problem that limits the power so severely will prevent it from starting.

One final thing, though. Your 1986 probably has a catalytic converter. If it is the original it may be plugged. It isn't hard to check - back off the bolts that hold the collector together where the exhaust manifold connects to the exhaust pipe and try to blow into the tail pipe. (Now clean the black ring off your face.) If the converter is responsible for the idle choking off you will barely be able to force any air through it.

What does "it relatively is barely approximately an inch showing on the dipstick" recommend? Is it on the entire mark, below the entire mark, on the upload oil mark or properly below that mark? My wager, and that's as stable as that's with the constrained information you supply, is that the priority isn't oil appropriate. some oil replace places do a courtesy verify of different products on your vehicle. throughout the time of that technique they might have skipped over to place issues returned the way they have been. they might have checked your ail filter out and skipped over to close each and every thing returned up whilst they have been performed. the different posibility is they might have knocked unfastened between the numerous vacuum hoses below the hood. you will ought to do a gap verify to make particular each and all of the hoses are firmly related.

You could have a major air leak just past the air sensor and if so the sensor is not reading the extra air you car is getting and in turn it's not adding the correct amount of fuel to keep it running.

loads of things can cause this. But with this model and year I would first suspect a clogged up exhaust due to a bad/broken up inside catalytic converter.

check your alternator output you could be running your car off the surface charge from the battery and when you have your foot on the gas it may be just enough to put some power out to the battery but not enough to keep the car running

tps maybe? idle air control? ecm?